My hospitality experience began when I entered high school. Younger I didn’t care to search what hospitality meant so I thought I was going to a school for nursing embarrassing I know. Day one of entering high school I was placed in the kitchen and never left. Well sometimes I did to do front of the house work, if there was an event to volunteer for and it happened to be front of the house I didn’t mind. I felt to understand Hospitality I needed to do both sections. I found out my junior year of high school that my school was a paired with C-CAP or Careers Through Culinary Arts Program. Its a program to get teens into the industry as soon as possible. When I heard that it was like a “bam then it hit me” moment I can start now. Or at least I thought the very first program I wanted to join I was too young 15 looking for a way in I asked the person in charge of the program practically begging to be accepted but there was nothing she could do about it I was too young.

I turned that lucky number 16 December of that year and waited till the following fall semester of school (senior year) and I was hungry I signed up for every program I could get my hands on that C-CAP was offering. I didn’t face any troubles in being accepted either. Thank goodness. Between the job shadows, kitchen training programs, and assistance with your culinary path C-CAP opens doors for many and its opened many for me. Not only job wise but visually they put me in places that I never thought I’d see the inside of and opened my eyes to my own personal door that helped me realize that in the hospitality industry is where I want to be. I enjoy both sides but my heart will always be with the kitchen. A lot of the time you’ll hear back of house people knocking down front of the house but I hold equal respect for both. Back of the house receives the pressure of getting delicious food out to hungry customers all while trying to stay consistent with flavor and plating and being hot is always is understatement in the kitchen. And front of the house works to keep diners wanting to come back for more all while dealing with the attitudes from kitchen staff.

I decided to continue on with Hospitality in college and have my focus be Culinary Arts for the idea that I’m now comfortable with the demands of the industry. I like to be pushed to my limits because its that kind of thing that helps a person grow and in this industry thats all you’ll be doing as long as you stay, is grow and learn. I love the idea of that it excites me. I love the idea that even though you’ll enter a kitchen and you’ll see a sea of white and black everyone looks the same but no one is. The personalities are different the techniques are different, something different can be learned from every individual in that kitchen and you’ll never know that unless you watch, learn, ask, and try to get the most out of the experiences in front of you.